Natives of Mobile Alabama, Gary Stanton and Charlie Muncaster came together to form Muscadine Bloodline in early 2016. The duo recently released their first single, “WD-40” as well as their self-titled debut EP that features songs, fueled by passion and authenticity, that merge country and southern rock. Calling in from the road, Charlie and Gary spoke about their roots, their current single, and more.

The two of you came together as Muscadine Bloodline in 2016, but you both had been pursuing music for some time. Can you talk about how you formed the duo?

Charlie: I grew up performing in choir and picked up the guitar around 14. Then, while studying at Auburn University, I started a band. Gary and I both had our own projects and one time I had a hometown show in Mobile and I was looking around for an opener when someone suggested Gary. After that, we stayed in touch - eventually writing, opening for, and playing gigs with one another such that people told us they really liked what we were doing which led to us tossing around the idea of being a duo…and here we are today.

Gary: I’ve been playing guitar since I was nine and when I wasn’t out playing sports, I loved having time alone in my room with the guitar. I went to Southern Mississippi for Entertainment Industry Management, so I knew I wanted to be in the music industry. I wanted to be a writer, but being in a band gave me the outlet to both write and play live which I enjoyed.

Was it always country music that you gravitated to?

Charlie: I’ll tell you this, if you plug in our iPod you would be thrown for a loop. I listen to everything from Rap and Rock to Hardcore, and Texas and Classic Country. The country artists we like are people like Brothers Osborne, Brett Eldredge, Wade Bowen, Turnpike Troubadours and Stoney LaRue. We dig their sound and style.

Gary: I fronted a Hardcore band in high school, and really didn’t like Country until I was about seventeen. I really gravitated to the songwriting aspect of it where when you listen to a song there’s a story there and you can put yourself in the place the artist is talking about.

The music features your strong harmonies, but when it comes to taking lead vocals, is one of you the primary vocalist?

Gary: I would say Charlie is the primary vocalist and I do more of the harmonies. I’ll pop in on a verse every now and then, but I have a very high register and I think that Charlie’s voice is more commercial than mine. I think when you begin your career, you have to have the voice of the band so that when someone hears a song they know who it is, rather than throw them for a loop.

Your EP was just released on January 20th. Did the two of you write together for it?

Charlie: We wrote every song together. I feel like with Muscadine Bloodline it’s good to cut songs we’re writing because it keeps the music focused on who we are.

“WD-40” was the debut single from the EP. Why did you choose that song as a single and what is the story behind it?

We were playing it live before we put it on the record and people were really liking it. We felt like it had a good, catchy melody and would appeal to a lot of people, so we chose it for the first single.

We sat down with Erin Enderlin and Alex Kline and took the idea of "WD-40" being a song about the working man and made it into a love song, like how WD-40 fixes everything, it can fix a relationship. We took a really country concept and made it a little edgier with a sound that mixes in the alternative college rock we grew up on.

Now that the single and EP are out, what are your plans for say, the next few months?

Gary: I feel like our strong suit is our live show, so we’re out on the road every weekend, building this the grassroots way and gaining a fan base. We just got off a tour with Luke Combs and we’re preparing to hit the Southeast, Texas, and Midwest hard. We also just got some terrific news that “WD-40” is going to be on [Sirius XM's] The Highway’s On The Horizon. They’re making artists these days and it’s very cool of them to give us a chance. We're very appreciative.

That’s all very exciting! So finally, as you drive around on from show to show, is there one recent release that you cannot stop listening to?